Loading and unloading apparatus.



A. R. HOLMN. LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APE.26, 1909.

ra? foZmen www A. R. HOLMN. LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, 1909.

Patented Apr. 12, 1.910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

dre? 27522?? i vzo AXEL n. HOLMN, or COLUMBUS, orIIo.

LOADING AND UNLOADING .APPARATU Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentes .apa i2, 1910.

Application iled April 2G, 1909. Serial No492,337.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AXEL R. HoLMn'N, a citizen of Sweden, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Loading and'Unloading A paratus, of which the following is a speci cation.

My invention relates to loading and unloading apparatus of that class which is ordinarily employed for elevating and discharging coal and other material into elevated bins or receptacles and in lwhich means are provided for the elevation of one bucket while a second bucket is descending, and has particular relation to the improvement of the construction illustrated and described in my former 'patents numbered 763,182, 854,890 and 865,041, dated respectively June 21, 1904:, May 28th, 1907 and September 13th, 1907.

The objects of my present invention are to vprovide in conjunction 'with a mechanism of the class speciied, improved means and attachments whereby the operation of the motor or engine is automatically stopped and reversed when one of the elevating buckets has reached its lowest position and is loaded ready for ascension; to so construct and arrange the reversing mechanism as to consume suicient time in the operation of roducing said reversal as to permit the loa infr and unloading of the lowered and raised t:buckets before the ascension and descent of said bucketsand to produce other improvements the details of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in elevation of my improved loading mechanism, showing one of the buckets in itsv lowered position and the other in its elevated position, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a modilied motor controlling means, Fi 4- is an enlarged vertical section of the rictional controlling device shownv in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail view in section of the motor operating cylinder shown in- Fig. 1, and, Fig. 6 is a detail View in perspective of a trip or latch which I employ in the manner hereinafter described.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. r

In the class of loading and unloading devices to 'which my invention pertains, two vertical elevator frames are provided of proper height and of suitable construction, each `of these elevator trames comprisinaa suitably connected standards of which 1 and 2 represent the parallel vertical side frame standards of each frame. In their upper portions the standards 2 are connected by a suitablehorizontal frame member 3 and the upper portions of the standards. 1

and 2 of each pair are connected by horizontal frame members 4. Journaled in suitable bearing brackets carried by the frame members 4 in the upper portions of the elevator frames, are pulley wheels 5 and 6 and upon the frame member 3 between the elevator frames, are journaled pulley wheels 7 and 8.

Slidably mounted between the side standards l and 2 of each of the elevator trames, is a suitable form of conveyer bucket or carrier, these buckets being indicated at 9 and 10 respectively. These buckets are of any suitable or well known construction which will permit of the loading of the same when in a lowered position and a discharge of the loads carried thereby, when in an elevated position. Each bucket is provided in its upper portion with a bail or other suitable projectlon 11 with which are connected' the ends of a hoisting cable 12, the cable running 'from one of said bucket bails upward over the pulley 5, thence over thepulley 7 and vertically downward therefrom passing aboutV the usual drum or cable carrying' wheel of a motor or engine shaft, which are not herein shown. From the cable operating drum, the rope again passes upward and over the pulley 8, thence over the pulleyl 6 to the bail l1 of the remaining bucket 10. Itwill beobserved that the cable 12 is of such length that when one of the buckets is in its elevated or unloading position, the remaining bucket is in the lowered or loading position.

U on the outer side of each of the frame stan ards 2 and in the lower portion thereof, I provide outwardly projecting stationary keepers or eye-lugs 13 and 14. Through the openings of these lugs passes loosely a vertical tri rod 15, which rod carries intermediate its end portions a catch projection 15a. These catch projections 15a of the rods 15, project in the paths of catch hooks 16, which, as shown on the drawing, projectfrom the inner sides of the buckets 9 and 10. The lower portion of each ofthe rods 15 has connected therewith and projecting laterally therefrom an arm 17, in the outer end of which is ournaled or pivoted a pulley wheel 18. Running about each of these pulleys 18, is a cable 19 from the outer side of which said cable runs upward over a small pulley 20 mounted on a transverse frame member 21 which extends between the frame stand-v ards 2 beneath which pulley said cable carries a weight 22, the latter when in its lowest position being adapted to bear upon a bracket 28 which projects from the inner side of the adjacent standard 2. From the inner side of the pulley 18 the cable 19 runs upward above the frame member 21 and over a pulley 24 which is mounted on a frame piece 2a which is attached to the inner side of the frame standard 2. From these pulleys 24, the cables 19 extend toward each other and connect with the upper end portion of a lever 25, the lower end of which lever is connected with a suitably journaled motor operating member 26. With the lever 25 is pivot-ally connected one end of a piston rod 27, which piston rod extends into a cylinder 28 and carries therein a piston 29. The cylinder 28 is formed near each end with a port, said ports being connected by a by-pass or pipe 30 which is intersected by a valve 81 (see Fig. 5). For the reason hereinafter set forth the cylinder 28 is designed to contain a suitable quantity oi'oil or other iluid.

?ivoted to the outer side of each. of the standards 2, is the upper end ont a depending bell crank trip 32, said upper pivoted end having a laterally extending weighted arm 33, which insures the retention of the trip body in a vertical position. The lower inturned end of the trip is as indicated at 34,-, recessed or bifurcated and when the corresponding rod 15 in its lowered position, that is, with its arm 17 upon the keeper 14 and its projection 15a seated in a cross frame member 2b, the upper end or said rod which is beveled, as shown, is'belowl 'and in contact with the underside of the inturned lower end of the trip 32 in rear of its bifurcation 34, said trip thus preventing the upward movement ci the rod until the trip is displaced in the manner hereinafter described.

ln order to describe the operation of my device, lf will assume that the parts are in the positions indicated in `llig. 1 of the drawing, in which the bucket 9 at the left is in its lowered osition, the weight 22 being elevated, as s own, from the bracket 28, the piston 29 being in the center ci the cylinder`- 28 and the lever 25 in a vertical position. lFVhen the lever 25 is in the vertical position shown, power is cut olif from the motor and the lowered buckets 9 and l0 are in positions respectively for loading andunloading. It will be understood, however, that the downward pull exerted on the cable 19 by the weight 22, will result in a gradual movement of the lever 25 toward the position indicated in dotted lines at the left, but owing to the factthat the piston 29 is bein forced against a volume of fluid in the' cylinder 29, such resistance is offered to said piston as to insure a retarded or comparatively slow movement of the lever 25, with the result that thel motor has 1mparted thereto an initial slow operation, which gradually increases as the lever 1s moved to the left, until suiicient power is generated to raise the loaded bucket 9, the initial movement of said bucket being also slow. rlhus time is provided for the loading of the lowered bucket and for the unu loading of the elevated bucket. its the bucket 9 travels upward, its hook projection 16 comes into contact with the inner end of the bifurcation of the trip 32, which .is shown at the left in F ig. 1 of the drawing, resulting in ressing or swinging said trip outward to t e position of the trip shown at the right in said ligure. By this operam tion, the contact of the upper ond of the left-hand rod 15 with the underside of the trip, is broken and the rod, through the downward movement of the corresponding weight 22, is permitted to move upward in its guides 13 and 14, .by reason of the downward pull of the weight 22 until said weight is seated upon the bracket 23. As the bucket 9 `moves upward in its frame, the bucket 10 is moving at a corresponding speed downward and when the latter descends until its hook projection 16 engages the projection 15a on the rod 15 at the right in Fig. 1, it is obvious that said rod will be forced downward through its guides 13 and that this downward movement will result in a corresponding downward movement of the pulley 18 and cable and an upward movement of the corresponding weight 22. The downward movement of the rod 15 thus imparted, continues until the correspondin trip32 swings to its normal position anI latches the rod a ainst upward movement. y @wing to the ownward pull produced by the upward movement of the right-hand weight, on that portion of the 'cable 19 which is adjacent to the right-hand elevator frame in Fig. 1, it is obvious that the lever 25 will be pulled by said cable, in the direction of said right-hand elevatortrame. @wing to the fact, however, that the `fluid contained inv the cylinder 28 in rear of the piston 29, will adord resistance to the inward movementoit said piston, it will be understood that the return of Vthe motor controlling lever 25 to the position shown in lull lines and the movement of said lever to the position indicatedv in dotted lines at the right, will be a comparatively slow operation, thus a ain providing time for the loading and un oading of the buckets 10 and 9. It is obvious that the speed at which the piston travels, may be regulated byl turning thev valve 31, so as to'form a more or' less direct connection between the sections of the pipe 30. By the means described, it will be understood that the operation 'of alternately raising and lowering the buckets and retaining the same in their raised or lowered positions a Sullicient time to permit of the unloading and loading of lthe same, will be continued automatica ly. y

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, I have illustrated a modified construction, which obviates the necessity of using the resistance cylinder and the weights at the'ends of the cable 19. In this modied construction, the ends of said cable 'are connected with the rod arms 14 and 17 through the medium of springs, one of which is shown at 35, while the movement of the motor contro g lever 25, is retarded by frictional 'contact with a fixed segment or curved bar 36 beneath which said lever is connected with a motor operating rod 37 which is pivoted in a block 38 rising from the frame 21. In producing this frictional contact, I secure to the lever 25, below the se bracket or housing body 39, the upper ortion of which extends outward in the orm `passes through a threaded opening in the housing 39a. The pressure of the s ring 42, as will be readily understood, is su cient to 'exert a desirable degree of friction between the lever and segment 36 to insure a coment 36 the lower end of al named means comprisinv weighted 'cables v directions, and means for actuating said controlling member .in both directions, said last connected to saidA contro ling'member and means for elevating the weights' of said cables upon the descent of the corresponding bucket. Y

2. The combination ywith a pair of elef vator frames, a bucket movable in each frame, and a vertically movable rod on each frame adapted to engage the corresponding bucket, of a device for controlling the direction of movements of said'buckets, flexible connections between said controllin device and'rods, and means connected with said controlling device for retarding the movement of the latter.

3. The combination with 'a pair of elevator frames, a movable bucket in each frame, a vertically movable rod on each frame which by engagement with a descending bucket .is moved to a locked position, and means for releasing said rod on the upward movement of the bucket, of means for simultaneously elevating one of said buckets and lowering the other, a lever controlling said elevating means, and connections between said rods and lever for slowly moving said lever to reverse the movement of said elevating means.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature I in presence of two witnesses.

AXEL R. HOLMN. Witnesses:

L. CARL SroUGH'roN,

A. L. PHELPS. 

